POPSUGAR Celebrity

TV Dinners: Freaks & Geeks - Salisbury Steak

Mar 7 2007 - 7:56am

A little while back, geeksugar [1] lent me the DVD set of "Freaks and Geeks." I fell in love with it immediately for so many reasons, I mean talk about capturing that ridiculous high school experience. One episode in particular really stood out to me, mostly for the lunch scene. The episode "Chokin' and Tokin'" starts off in the school cafeteria and Daniel (played by James Franco [2]) and Nick (played by Jason Segel [3]) are standing in line ordering Salisbury steak. When I heard him say Salisbury steak, I immediately thought of my elementary school cafeteria menu. Wednesday was Salisbury steak day and I haven't actually thought about Salisbury steak since then. I remember eating it as a kid (it came with mashed potatoes and green beans), but what is it?

To see the clip where Nick wonders if there is a difference between steak and Salisbury steak, and to find out if there is (including a great recipe to make your own),

Salisbury steak is ground beef mixture that is formed into a steak-shaped patty and fried (or broiled) like a steak. It's usually then smothered in some sort of a gravy or brown sauce. This recipe takes the general concept and spruces it up a bit with mushrooms and olive oil.

2. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté onion and mushrooms in oil. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon; set aside.

3. Place formed patties in pan and cook for about four minutes on each side, until no longer pink inside. Remove from pan; set aside and keep warm.

4. Dissolve bullion in warm water and vinegar. Add to hot pan and bring to a boil, stirring to loosen and incorporate any pan drippings. Reduce heat and slowly stir in sour cream. Add vegetables back to pan. Continue to cook and stir until heated through and barely bubbling. Divide sauce over meat patties.